Greek Foreign Minister Gerapetritis: Progress has been made with Turkey
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis stated that progress has been made in certain areas of relations with Ankara.
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Ahead of his visit to New York on February 23 to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting, Gerapetritis addressed the dialogue process between Turkey and Greece in an interview with the Greek-American newspaper Ethnikos Kiriks.
Stating that progress has been made in some areas of relations with Ankara, Gerapetritis described the reduction of hot incidents regarding airspace disputes, the strengthening of cooperation on migration, and the increase in trade volume as positive developments.
Emphasizing that Greece will not compromise on its sovereign rights, Gerapetritis stated, "It is not realistic to expect Turkey to abandon some of its long-standing demands. We are only open to negotiations based on international law regarding the delimitation of the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone."
Claiming that Turkey has turned issues in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean into a comprehensive bargaining process, Gerapetritis noted that dialogue must continue despite the disagreements between the two countries.
Pointing to the importance of keeping communication channels open, the Greek Minister said that diplomacy should be a priority for maintaining stability in the region.